This disclosure relates generally to synchronous machines, and more specifically to protection or isolation of circuitry during operation.
Synchronous machines are known. Synchronous machines include a stationary portion and a rotating portion, where the rotating portion and the stationary portion each have at least one winding. One application of synchronous machines is a generator arrangement for gas turbine engines to power the various components of the engine and/or aircraft.
The synchronous machine includes a field winding on the rotating portion and an armature winding on the stationary portion. Current supplied to the field winding generates a magnetic field between the rotating portion and the stationary portion, causing current to be generated at the armature winding. The rotating portion typically includes one or more rotating diodes to rectify current to the field winding. During operation of the synchronous machine, one of the rotating diodes may become shorted or otherwise malfunction, sometimes referred to as a “shorted rotating diode” (SRD). In some arrangements, one or more portions of the stationary portion are electrically isolated from the SRD during an SRD event.